The Stuff of Legends
by DeathStrikesAgain
Summary: What if Iruka didn’t come to Naruto’s aid when Mizuki struck? What if someone else came instead? Four years has passed since then and now he's back. Watch, as Naruto defies all odds thrown against him and becomes the stuff of legends.
1. Chapter 1 Saviour

**Summary:** What if Iruka didn't come to Naruto's aid when Mizuki struck? What if he was unconscious at the time and someone else came instead? Watch, as Naruto defies all odds thrown against him and becomes the stuff of legends, with some extra guidance of course.

**Time:** Set after the Gennin Exams

**Major Pairings:** KakashiOCItachi SasukeSakura

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, if I did, I'd be sitting in up in Hawaii somewhere baking in the sun in a string bikini. But unfortunately enough, I do not have that privilege. Do enjoy, read and review please.

**Extra Need-To-Know Information: **  
1 yard = 0.9144 meters  
1 feet = 0.3048 meters  
Canis Lupas = Scientific name for Wolf  
Fuin No Sho = Scroll of Seals

Chapter 1  
**Guidance**

A black silhouette approached the village at an alarming rate, moving so fast that it seemed almost like a blur. The Chunnin hesitated, unsure of what to make of this development.

It was a dark night, no presence of the moon could be seen from behind the thick gray clouds and it greatly affected the guard's vision. There was a fickle or something, and then another would appear ten seconds later almost 15 yards away. Umino Iruka could barely tell if it was just his own imagination, or it was truly something to be worried about, but an acidic pool began to build at the pit of his stomach. Instincts, gained from so many years of being a ninja, regardless the fact that he was mostly just a schoolteacher, warned him about this strange black figure approaching him, but nevertheless, it would be a shame to summon an ANBU just because of a slight suspicion, after all, it could just be another visiting ninja.

Iruka hurriedly walked down the steps towards the front of the gate, on guard and his hand on his kunai. Konoha was calm and aside from the occasional padding (although little) of feet of the ninjas on duty, there was an almost eerie silence to the area. Normally, there would be two ninjas on guard, but recently, because of the time of peace, Konoha's shinobis have been concentrating on more missions than on the safety of the village. Indeed the lack of security did not really bother Iruka all that much, ever since the Kyuubi incident 12 years ago, nothing posed a threat towards the Great Village of Konohagakure. However, right now, he was a tinsy bit annoyed at the Third Hokage for the lack of guards.

Just his luck things had to happen when he was on the very occasional duty.

But Iruka was a Chunnin for a reason, the exam was not simple to pass and he had been proud he was one of those that did. His quick mind anticipated the speed of the oncoming shadow and both mentally and physically prepared himself for a confrontation if it were to occur. However, he didn't expect that it would be possible for the figure to come closer any faster, there was a very small flicker about 5 feet from where he stood and the last thing he remembered were a pair of clear, beautiful, blue eyes, before he was met with darkness.

Strange, those eyes didn't seem too human to him.

**XXXXX **_**Time Skip – 2 Days**_** XXXXX**

Her head shot up as she both heard and smelt something coming towards the forest. Strange, the presence, whatever it was, didn't walk or move with the same grace or likeliness of an animal. Her right ear twitched twice whilst she cocked her head in an almost comical fashion, trying to listen out for more information about the thing coming closer.

Maybe that small action could even be described as cute if not for the fact that she looked like she could both kill and swallow an average human in one mouthful. The she-wolf stood 4 feet tall on all fours and from nose to tail, was about 5 feet long, definitely too large to just be another ordinary _Canis__lupus_. She had pure black fur and not an inch of white or any other form of colour could be found on her body. The only bit of thing that made a difference between herself and the shadows of the forest were the fact that her fur held such a shine that even the slightest streak of light would cause her fur to obtain a dazzling, glitter-like effect where the light hit, and her eyes.

The unknown thing just continued to walk deeper into the forest and the wolf took a step back from the carcass of a dead rabbit she had just been devouring. The scent was familiar, it was obvious, and it was definitely human.

Warning bells erupted within her head as she fought against instincts to run the opposite direction. Humans, especially those from these parts held a terrifying stature and were less likely to feel threatened by a wild animal such as herself. But the wolf knew she was not like most animals and forced herself to hold her ground.

This was, after all, her territory.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The Third Hokage of the Hidden Village of the Leaf let out a great sigh as he watched the ninjas in front of him disappear after his dismissal. It was one of those days where he had wished he didn't take up the supposedly glorious job of being the leader of one of the greatest villages in the world.

If only they knew.

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked back into his office and placed his Hokage hat on the table before sitting down heavily onto his chair just behind his desk. He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb, trying to push back the headache he could feel approaching.

As always, it proved to be futile. The Sandaime sighed as he stood back up and turned around, looking down at the village from the large window.

Aside from the occasional flicker and stops of the ninjas that he had previously dismissed, the rest of the village was still. His weary eyes took in the picturesque view of the somewhat peaceful village in its prime and its gorgeous landscape.

It was brighter now than a few days ago, too bright almost. The full moon shone large and clear just above the horizon and loomed over the village, whether the presence of it felt threatening or safe, Sarutobi could not be sure. He closed his eyes as he reminisced upon the reason that he had given almost all of the ninjas remaining in the village, Chunnin and above not too long ago, that particular mission.

**XXXXX **_**Flashback **_**XXXXX**

"_Hokage-sama!" a white-haired Chunnin gasped as he burst into the office of the Third much to the protest of the two ANBUs guarding the door. The Hokage looked up in slight alarm and surprise, curious at what was so urgent to cause the man to blast into the office in such a hurry._

_Mizuki was one of the ninja academy instructors, besides Iruka, that Sarutobi really liked. The man had a talent with handling children and was always soft spoken and benevolent. Whatever brought the man to cause such a commotion must definitely be something drastic indeed. Only just earlier today when he had went down to visit the students at the academy before the exams, the man had to be told off (although only very slight) by him for being too lenient on the examination scores of his students. Uzumaki Naruto being such an example._

_The Hokage sobered down as he remembered the particular reason why he had to do so. Their usual examiner, Umino Iruka, has been unconscious since his guard duty from two days ago. Two ANBU found him, knocked out right at the gates of Konoha. Searching they found no prints or anything of such to suggest it was an offensive attack. There wasn't even any physical injury on the man. The only conclusion that could be offered was that he suffered from exhaustion and passed out in the middle of duty. Although it didn't sound very much like Iruka, the fact that already two days had passed and the man has yet to awaken worried him. He sighed, there wasn't much he could do now, medical jutsus had always been Tsunade's strong point, not his._

_Sarutobi quickly pulled himself out of his reverie and looked up at the man in front of him. "Yes?"_

_The man gasped for air, his hand holding onto the door handle for support. He quickly caught his breath and managed to stutter out. "It-It's Naruto! He has taken the Fuinn no Sho!"_

_The Hokage glanced back down in dread, not only did the Scroll of Seals contained much valuable information and ninja techniques belonging to the village, the fact that Naruto had taken it would mean that he would have to work incredibly hard to get their Jinchuriki back into the Coucil's good graces. Not that the boy was ever really inside them._

_It took two seconds for Sarutobi to use a chakra search on the scroll he previously had in his library to know that it was missing. Apprehension filled him as he allowed his worry to show clear on his face._

_The old man sighed as he placed his pen back into its holder. "Wolf," he said as he addressed the ANBU standing outside his door wearing an artistic black and white mask of a, as you can guess, wolf. The man nodded in acknowledgement. "Gather all ninjas available, Chunnin level and above to my office now. This is a B-level security threat[1]. They are to be here immediately."_

_The ANBU nodded at him before vanishing. The Hokage shook his head. Exactly what was Naruto thinking when he took the scroll he had no idea._

_He was too busy contemplating upon that to notice the strange gleam in Mizuki's eyes._

**XXXXX **_**Flashback End **_**XXXXX**

Naruto sat back down onto the filthy ground in the middle of the forest with a large tired sigh. "Maaa. This is getting so troublesome!" he whined, using his fellow classmate's favourite words.

Naruto had been in this same clearing for the past hour, trying to memorize and learn the jutsus in the scroll. So far, he had only managed to complete one, the first one: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. It wasn't too particularly hard and definitely much easier than the normal Bunshin Jutus that they learn at the academy. But the second Jutsu on the list proved to be a challenge.

His face faulted as he remembered exactly why he was even here in the first place, Mizuki-sensei had been really nice, wanting to let him pass just because he had been through the exam three times already, even though he failed at making a proper bunshin. But the Hokage had stopped him, telling him that he could not play favourites. Thank God Mizuki wasn't as cruel and gave him a second chance.

Which brought him back to why he was here.

He reopened the scroll and glanced back at the second Jutsu on the list. "Ram, Ox, Boar…" Naruto said out loud slowly as he tried to follow the instructions on the scroll.

Needless to say, his efforts were useless.

Naruto collapsed back onto the ground, groaning. How many Jutsus did Mizuki-sensei said he had to learn again?

Wait.

Shit.

Naruto groaned again as he slapped himself on his head for being such an idiot (something that happens quite often, surprisingly enough). Sensei had said he only needed to learn one.

His entire demure changed, face lighting back up again. He clapped his hands together gleefully. "YOSH!" he cried out excitedly as he punched the air with his right hand, feeling regenerated.

Now all he had to do was show his technique to Mizuki-sensei and he would finally be able to become a full fledged shinobi!

"YATTA! I am Uzumaki Naruto! The greatest ninja that would ever grace this earth! I will become the best Ho-"

A growl, low and menacing cut Naruto off his mid praise/rant. Naruto froze in fear as the leaves behind him rustled. He moaned to himself, why on earth does he keep doing that? Drawing unwanted attention to himself by his loudmouth ways. Naruto slowly turned around as he took small steps backwards, hands placed in front of him as though to defend the wild animal that came into view.

Another growl, deeper this time, angrier too. Naruto's eyes widened as the animal stepped out of the bushes, its fangs bared, flashing its pure white teeth towards its prey, which in this situation, just happened to be Naruto.

The wolf-resembling thing was so large it was bigger than Naruto himself if he were to lie down. It was strangely beautiful if he could call it that, but now was not the time to admire a potential death threat. He swallowed his saliva, trying to quench the fear that was threatening to envelope him. Even the sheen that gleamed off its black coat felt sinister. Naruto kept taking steps backwards until his back hit a tree, causing him to yelp in alarm.

"N-now boy," the animal growled even louder at that. "Or girl," he said, quickly correcting himself. "I don't mean you any harm. Y-you can go now. Sh-Shoo." he did a chasing motion with his hands.

The animal stopped and straightened from its pouncing stance. Almost as though sending a suspicious glare at the blonde boy, the animal turned around and took off back into the forest. Naruto let out a huge sigh of relief before falling onto the floor.

Now that was a lucky break.

Another rustle, this time above him cause Naruto to freeze once again.

What had Iruka-sensei say again about throwing Kunais?

"Hey Naruto." A familiar voice called out from above him.

Naruto once again thanked the gods for his luck. He was afraid for a moment there that maybe a giant mutated monkey wanted to eat him or something. Damn this forest can be scary.

"Hello Mizuki-sensei!" he cried out, grinning as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Guess what, guess what, I've learnt one of the techniques on the scroll!" he exclaimed proudly.

Mizuki's eyes widened in surprise, before hatred filled his eyes. So the fucking snob though he could lie to him huh? Mizuki wasn't stupid, he knew what was inside the scroll, and he knew that Naruto definitely did not even have the brain capacity to learn one fourth of a technique inside the scroll, not to mention a whole thing. Who was the boy deluding himself to be?

Naruto took a step back in surprise at the level of hostility he could see from the Chunnin's eyes. "Mi-Mizuki-sensei?"

Ever heard of out of the pan and into the fryer? This was exactly the situation Naruto was in at the moment.

The man grinned ferally, oh how long he had waited for this day, acting and pretending to be a calm, nice sensei when all he wanted to do was stab the blonde idiot through the chest. "You stupid child, did you think you could lie to me so easily? I highly doubt a dumb blonde like you could even understand that scroll. Now, give it to me."

Naruto took another step back, utterly confused now, he was not used to the voice that Mizuki was using. "What is going on sensei?"

The man addressed took out a large shuriken from behind his back and began spinning it threateningly, "I will tell you exactly what is going on you idiotic Naruto-kun. Have you ever heard of the Kyuubi?"

The boy nodded dumbly, half in fear and half in dread. He almost wished that the wolf-like creature would come back. He would have rather dealt with it than his estranged teacher.

"You see, 12 years ago the Kyuubi rampaged the village and nearly killed everyone. The Fourth Hokage came up with a plan to seal the demon into a child. Long story short, you are that child."

Mizuki jumped off the branch and stood to his full height, the Shuriken still spinning in his hand. He relished the fear and realization that dawned in Naruto's eyes.

"Have you not wondered why people stare down at you in disgust and fear and hatred? Have you not noticed?" Tears leaked into Naruto's eyes as he shook his head pathetically. No! It can't be true.

"You are a demon Naruto. From the day you were born. Everyone hates you. The Hokage, the villagers, even your darling Iruka-sensei. We all hate you."

The blonde boy crumpled to the ground and onto his knees. Tears dripping down his face now as he gasp for breathe. No, it wasn't true. Iruka doesn't hate him. Not his Iruka. Not the Iruka that brought him for ramen and chastised him every time he did something wrong. Not the Iruka that would always feel guilty after punishing him and apologizes.

Not that Iruka.

Mizuki took out a hand-held recorder and played it. From it voices came on when Mizuki had taped their earlier conversation.

"Of course Naruto has Kyuubi in him. Who doesn't know that?" Naruto's eyes widened in horror as the voice of his beloved teacher filled the clearing. "Kyuubi is a demon, a monster, something that deserves death. If I could have, I would have delivered death to him myself. But-"

Mizuki cut off the tape. Grinning as he watched the boy in front of him suffer and die slowly inside. Had Mizuki continued to play the tape, Naruto would have heard how Iruka felt about him, that the older man loved him and cared for him as a brother.

But what Naruto doesn't know. Can't hurt him.

Or in this case, will kill him instead.

"I'm doing Iruka and the rest of the village a favour my getting rid of you demon." He spat out his disgust. "Die."

Naruto watched weakly as his vision began fading into darkness even before the weapon hit him. He was a demon, he deserved death. Iruka-sensei himself had said it. What else was there to live for? Naruto closed his eyes as he accepted his fate. But the pain never came. Opening his eyes slightly he saw a large black figure knocking Mizuki off his feet and pouncing onto him.

As black flooded his sight all he could think of was…

"Beautiful wolf."

**XXXXX **_**End of Chapter 1 **_**XXXXX**

So? What do you think? =] Much better than A New Dawn now isn't it? For those who do not know I am officially discontinuing that story and implementing some of those aspects into this story instead. I would very much like to hear from your opinions.

Do review.

Oh and I have yet to come up with a pairing for Naruto. Any ideas anyone? Just either send me a message or review and tell me who do you think Naruto would do good with. Or anyone else for that matter. I always do love taking in ideas from other people if it can help out with the story. =]

[1] – about the security threat. There are several levels, like missions. Ranking from E to SS. Here's the information:

E – barely any threat, maybe like a pick pocket or two.  
D – again, not too much threat, maybe a band of harmless thieves  
C – slightly higher, something that could possibly damage the village's stature  
B – relatively high, would call for an immediate meeting for all available Chunnin and above, something that if get outs would definitely hurt the village, although not by much.  
A – high, all Genin and above would be called in for an immediate plan to be taken. Could possibly be very damaging to the village.  
S – all ANBU, Jounin, Chunnin and Genin would be called back from all missions to help the village with this security threat. Very serious and hardly ever called.  
SS – Very serious, all help from allied countries and what not are asked in. Probably a full scale invasion or something that would lead to many deaths. The last SS Security Threat was the Kyuubi.

Hope you liked it!

X


	2. Chapter 2 Benevolence

**Summary:** What if Iruka didn't come to Naruto's aid when Mizuki struck? What if he was unconscious at the time and someone else came instead? Watch, as Naruto defies all odds thrown against him and becomes the stuff of legends, with some extra guidance of course.

**Time:** Set after the Gennin Exams

**Major Pairings:** KakashiOCItachi SasukeSakura

**Disclaimer:** As said before, I do not own Naruto. I bow down to the genius, (or genii) that were the ones that created such an awesome anime/manga. =] I'd like to say the first chapter was a relative success, and here goes the 2nd. Enjoy, don't forget to review in the end! =]

**Reviewers:** Thank you so much for your reviews. =] They were a great help. To those I cannot reply through FF because you do not have accounts, here you go. =]

To, **Anonymous**- Point taken. Although Naruto may seem a little out of character to you in the previous chapter, if you remember correctly in the cannon, Naruto froze up when Mizuki threw the Shuriken at him, which was why Iruka had jumped in between them and was caught in the blast and had the thing up stuck up his back. Also, since Iruka was, at that moment, in my story knocked out, I had to do something to make it so it fit somehow right? Mizuki taping a random conversation with Iruka seemed like a smart idea at that time. However, point is still taken, and I would do my best to stick them to character as much as I can. =]

To, **SR**- Well, thank you very much for taking the time to read and review. =] Hopefully you'd like this chapter. Good point about the pairing, I shall do just that.

**Extra Need-To-Know Information: **  
Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (ANBU) = Special Assassination and Tactical Squad

Chapter 2  
**Benevolence**

The people of Konohagakure did not know what to make of the events that were taking place right before their eyes, in the middle of one of the main streets of Konoha.

You see, an average civilian would do such on an average day: wake up to the serenity that was Konoha, eat a light breakfast with their families, before heading out either to grocery shop or go to their normal, average jobs.

Konoha was well known for its beauty. Storms and hails were uncommon in these parts and the day would usually pass by with clear blue skies. Undisrupted, day by day, peace reigned across the city, like calm waters in a crystal clear lake.

But on this strange day, lying in the middle of the street, bloody and injured was a man with what used to look like white hair. It was easy to tell that the man was a ninja despite the fact that his usual Chunnin vest and clothing was torn to mere shreds, it was just this sort of aura that ninjas had. Now, an injured shinobi was not new to the village, after all, although it was a time of peace, they were still one of the top ninja villages to have ever graced to earth.

No, in fact, the confusion, horror and fear came from a slightly different source.

Standing just next to the bloody body was an animal, if you could call it that. It's intelligent blue eyes skipping from one person to another, watching, waiting. It was like a predator ready to pounce at any moment. On top of it's back, was a unconscious young blonde boy that seemed unharmed and surrounding this wolf like animal were various ninja's in animal masks- Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, or ANBU for short. They were Konoha's most powerful weapon, their main forces against the enemies.

But the wolf barely even acknowledged them.

Humans, by nature, are very curious creatures, more so than most animals. Civilians crowded behind the ANBU, not close enough to touch them, but close enough to witness what was happening. Anything that would break them out of their usual, everyday regime was enough to catch their attention, for this situation wasn't one that they knew would occur everyday.

Everyone held their breathe as their wise leader, the Saindaime stepped forward and into the circle of shinobis, not a hundred percent certain how to deal with the dilemma that was standing in front of him.

The wolf currently had a heavy paw atop of one of their ninja's neck. Mizuki laid on the floor, conscious but injured, his eyes alight with the fear of death. Sarutobi knew that one wrong move would lead to the death of one of their shinobis. To make matters worse, the wolf had the unconscious Jinchuriki on its back and the Scroll of Seals in its mouth.

He would have to approach this… animal carefully.

There was something strange about this creature. Aside from its strange fur coat and eyes; to come into the middle of a village, threatening the life of one of their Chunnin's was definitely not an attitude that any wild animal would take on. Not to mention its incredible size. It was also definitely not a Henge, any Hyuuga could easily tell you that. There was even a weird… chakra signature to the animal. Very unusual.

The Hokage frowned, he would have to get to the bottom of this if the Chunnin wanted to leave this little circle alive.

"H-Hokage-sa-sama!" gasped out the captive Chunnin. The Hokage's eyes softened in worry for a second before hardening once again.

The animal's paw pressed down harder upon the man's throat and the man struggle in protest.

"Stop." Sarutobi commanded the animal. "What do you want from us? We have not done anything to harm you."

The man's voice steeled over and promised the wolf regret if he were to harm one of his people. The animal looked him over with its intelligent eyes and took its paw off the other man's throat.

Mizuki gasped for air, struggling to get oxygen into his deprived lungs. He shot a horrified glance at the wolf before getting onto his feet, attempting to run towards the Hokage.

The keyword there? Attempt.

Before the man could even stand on his own two feet the animal shoved him back to the ground, this time paws directly on his chest, above his heart, its claws digging into his chest. Without a doubt the wolf would be able to kill him without remorse within a span of a second if it wanted to.

Mizuki whimpered.

The ANBU surrounding the animal already have their swords in their hands, prepared to leap at the threat when a sign was given from their leader. But what the animal did next even surprised _them_.

It dropped the scroll out of its mouth and using its muzzle, pushed the scroll so that it rolled and stopped at the Hokage's feet. It then gently set down the blonde academy student onto the floor, before dragging Mizuki further away from him. The ANBU and civillians moved out of its way to give it space. The Hokage froze in surprise as the scroll bumped against his feet.

With a sweep of his hand, the ANBUs all stood down, re-sheathing their ninjatos. Nodding at his previous guard with the Wolf mask the man appeared next to Naruto and placed his arms gently around the unconscious boy, before vanishing. All this while the wolf just stood its ground, unmoving as it stared at the Hokage in the eye.

It looked almost… pleading.

The Sandaime hesitated. It seemed like the animal did not mean any harm to anyone aside for the man underneath its paw. What led the animal to react this way? Much to the protest of many of the ninjas around, the Hokage took a step forward, and then another. Each person in the clearing held their breathes as their leader came within paws reach of the animal.

It just stayed perfectly still.

Slowly the Hokage reached towards its large head, the animal's eyes watching his every move wearily, the protesting, whimpering man still under its threatening claws.

The Hokage let out a gasp as scene flashed before his eyes.

**XXXXX **_**Mindscape - Flashback **_**XXXXX**

_All he could see around him was bushes, a jungle maybe? Strange, the change in height of vision made it feel like he was on all fours. The Hokage tried to move around but soon realized that he could not control his own body movements. Sarutobi cursed under his breathe._

_Genjutsu?_

_But before he could even try to figure out what was going on a movement in the scene in front of him caught his attention. His eyes widened in surprise. It was Mizuki and Naruto!_

_Naruto took another step back, looking utterly confused. "What is going on sensei?"_

_The man addressed took out a large shuriken from behind his back and began spinning it threateningly, "I will tell you exactly what is going on you idiotic Naruto-kun. Have you ever heard of the Kyuubi?"_

_The boy nodded dumbly, half in fear and half in dread. The Hokage gasped in protest. No, Mizuki, don't! Why on earth was he telling him that? What was this? A Genjutsu? A memory recall technique?_

"_You see, 12 years ago the Kyuubi rampaged the village and nearly killed everyone. The Fourth Hokage came up with a plan to seal the demon into a child. Long story short, you are that child."_

"_You are a demon Naruto. From the day you were born. Everyone hates you. The Hokage, the villagers, even your darling Iruka-sensei. We all hate you."_

_The blonde boy crumpled to the ground and onto his knees. Tears dripping down his face now as he gasp for breathe. He looked so totally beaten that even the Hokage's heart went out to him. Damn that Mizuki, how dare he? When Mizuki took out a hand-held recorder and played it, hearing what came from it the Sandaime was deeply disappointed. For both Iruka and Mizuki. It seems like the people you least expect it from tend to do the most damage._

"_I'm doing Iruka and the rest of the village a favour my getting rid of you demon." He said as he spat out his disgust. "Die."_

_Sarutobi shouted in protest as he saw the Shuriken shoot towards the defenseless boy, when he heard, or rather felt a loud growl coming from his own throat, before he could find out what happened his vision went black._

**XXXXX **_**Mindscape - Flashback Ends **_**XXXXX**

The Hokage gasped as he took a step back, vision returning back to normal. When he first got absorbed into that memory, or whatever that thing was, the ninjas around him had reacted violently. Taking a Chunnin of the village was one thing, the fact that their Hokage was in danger was another.

Two ANBU had its sword poised just above the animals head, and another just below it's throat. They ignored the whimpering Chunnin's predicament because no matter what, the Hokage's life was priority.

The animal didn't react except stared at the Saindaime with its big, blue, intelligent eyes.

"Wait." The old man said, stopping the ANBU at their actions. The three men in masks stopped at mid-swipe, weapons still poised to bring death to the animal before them. "Somebody get me Inoichi Yamanaka." He ignored the questions around from the non-ANBU shinobis. "Now."

There were several orders being issued from ninja to ninja, within five minutes a large blonde haired man shuffled into the clearing, red cloak flapping with the wind. He bowed towards the Hokage, "Hokage-sama. You summoned me?" he asked, whilst shooting a weary glance at the large wolf standing not too far away. Even from where he stood he could feel the powerful aura that the animal seemed to ooze, it made him apprehensive and a little… fearful.

The older man nodded at him, "I want you to use your family's technique."

Inoichi glanced at the Saindaime in surprise. The man wanted him to use his technique on the animal? He was highly doubtful that it would work. There was a reason why they never used their techniques on animals, they just did not have the same brain functions and such.

Strange thing was, he knew that the Saindaime knew that. But before he could protest the older man shook his head.

"Not on the wolf Inoichi, on Mizuki."

People around him gasp in surprise and protest. Why? Only the ANBU did not seem to react. They still stood above the animal, poised to kill it within seconds. Mizuki stared up at the Hokage in shock.

"H-Hokage-sama? Why? I-I didn't do anything-"

"SILENCE." The Hokage commanded, successful in both shutting up the people around him and Mizuki himself. "I have my reasons."

The blonde Jounin nodded at the Hokage. If he was given orders, he would abide by it, even though it still baffled him.

"Search his memories, I want you to find out what transpired between Mizuki, Naruto and the wolf."

The Jounin nodded in compliance, before gathering his fingers into a seal. "Shintenshin no Jutsu!" the man called out, before crumpling to the ground, only to be caught by another ANBU.

Mizuki grunted in protest as the Jutsu hit him, before he stopped moving.

Several minutes of awkward silence insured. The tension was so thick that you could quite literally slice it with a knife. The civillians were whispering amongst themselves at the strange events that had just taken place and wondering about the Hokage's sanity. Even several began to think that the animal had brain-washed the Hokage.

Amongst the ninjas, they did not know what do to but stare. The animal seemed to have shown the Hokage… something. But whatever it was, they were unsure.

Finally, the head of the Yamanaka clan moaned softly as he returned to his own body. He rubbed his head gently before getting onto his own two feet, nodding thanks at the ANBU that had caught his body.

He looked at the Hokage with tired eyes as the man looked at him in query. He sighed.

"Mizuki told Naruto that by stealing the Scroll of Seals, he would be able to pass to Genin. After the confusion of searching for Naruto, he took that change to slip away and threatened to kill Naruto if he did not hand over the scroll." The man grimaced. "He revealed Naruto's… quandary to him, before attempting to take his life with a Large Shuriken. The wolf," he nodded at the animal still watching them with impassiveness, "saved his life by tackling and attacking Mizuki."

There were several gasps in the crowd. Mizuki? He would not dare to do such things. The old man just shook his head with a sigh. Once again, hatred won. What was it with this village and the inability to see that Naruto was just a young boy with no choice of his current state? Hatred, sometimes it would make a person go crazy.

"Lock him up and put him under severe interrogation. I want to know if he was working alone or for someone else. Life sentence."

Mizuki shouted in protest as two ANBUs came and dragged him away, the wolf finally taking its paws off the injured traitor. The crowd immediately went into an uproar.

"But Hokage-sama! He was trying to protecting the village by killing the Kyuubi brat!"

"Hokage-sama! It is unfair for the poor Chunnin, he was doing it for the good of the village!"

"The demon deserves to die anyway! And that blasted wolf along with it!"

"QUIET!" the now severely pissed-off Third Hokage shouted. "A man of the village, a man who had sworn to protect this village had just threatened to kill one of our children. Not to mention he also stole from the village, from me. He actually deserves a much more severe punishment than what he is currently receiving. No more complains should be heard of this day. You are all dismissed."

With much grumbling and chatting amongst the people, although one or two did feel bad for the blonde boy, everyone slowly disappeared, once again to return to their usual routine. The ANBUs and Jounins stayed whilst all the other ninjas went back to their duties and missions.

The old man looked at the wolf that sat on its haunches, watching the Hokage with what looked like an amused look. He shook his head, what was he suppose to do now?

"Do you understand me?" the Hokage asked.

The wolf stood straight, and much to the surprise of whoever that had remained, nodded sharply at the older man.

"I would like to invite you to the Hokage office, to settle some things as to what you are doing here. I do not know how communication is going to work but as long you understand what I say it should be fine."

The Hokage hesitated, "Do not forget that you are not under hostile actions because you saved a civilian of the village. Do not push it and do not threaten the lives of anymore of my shinobis and we should get along fine."

The wolf just stared at him, nodding slowly. It was almost comical really, seeing such a large, ominous creature communicating with the Hokage. The man sighed,

"Follow me then."

The Hokage, together with 4 ANBU, Yamanaka Inoichi and three other Jounin walked through the streets of Konoha, heading towards the Hokage tower whilst ignoring the looks they got from many people.

The rest of the group left behind disappeared, returning back to their jobs.

**XXXXX **_**End of Chapter 2 **_**XXXXX**

There you go. Another chapter done. =] It isn't as long as the previous one, or as strong, but I want the next chapter to hit harder.

Looking forward to the next chapter! =D Revealing the secret behind the wolf after all. =]

Note for those who don't know. This story would not be a Yaoi. Maybe amongst the other characters but Kakashi, Itachi and the (later on) OC would definitely be straight. For Naruto himself I have yet to figure that one out. =]

Hope you liked it! Review if you may.

X


	3. Chapter 3 Transformation

**Summary:** What if Iruka didn't come to Naruto's aid when Mizuki struck? What if he was unconscious at the time and someone else came instead? Watch, as Naruto defies all odds thrown against him and becomes the stuff of legends, with some extra guidance of course.

**Time:** Set after the Gennin Exams

**Major Pairings:** KakashiOCItachi SasukeSakura

**Disclaimer:** Sigh, as per usual, I really wish I own Naruto. =] This is the 3rd chapter, although I must say, it is going into a different direction from where I originally intended, but we'll see how it goes.

WHOOPS. So many typos with the (numbers) of Hokages. My mistake. Replaced that chapter. =] Here you go.

**Reviewers:** Once again, delighted to receive the reviews, thank you all those that did review, you guys are the main reason I'd even bother writing anyway. =] To those who do not have accounts:

To, **Anonymous**- About the filter, I know that at this point Naruto and Kakashi have yet to even appear or play a large role. Do not worry, Naruto would be the main character in this story. He will be playing the largest role. You'll see. =]  
Although, I must admit, Kakashi isn't going to play as large a role as the OC, so I will remove him from the filters. As for the pairing for Naruto, is it not because I thought more about the OC than Naruto himself, but because this story is a rewrite of a story I previously wrote that DIDN'T centralize around Naruto. I decided to change the story direction, which is why I haven't really got to Naruto yet. I have yet to decide who he would be paired with because I want the story to develop more first. The romance shall come later. =]  
This story, however, will be a KakashiOC. As for Itachi, it might change after a while, just need to see who he's gonna be with. =]

To, **Allison**- Haha, I must say, that idea is entertaining, close but not quite. You'll see as the story goes on. =] Hope you'll like it!

**Extra Need-To-Know Information: **  
There is a change in Yamato's attitude. Just to inform you lot. =]  
There is also a change (from people who had read 'A New Dawn') of the OC's name.  
Namikaze Minato – The Fourth Hokage and Naruto's Father  
Uzumaki Kushina – The Fourth Hokage's wife and Naruto's Mother

Chapter 3  
**Transformation**

Naruto awoke with a groan; his head pounded like there was no tomorrow and every inch of his body ached. It was as though he had been mauled over by a truck or something. Strange thing was, he didn't remember doing anything strenuous.

Forcing his eyelids open, which incidentally felt like lead weights, he immediately shut them once again as the bright light penetrated his vision. It was like a knife stabbing into his brain. Blinking slowly, he moaned in pain, slowly getting accustomed to the light.

Looking around, it didn't take him too long to realize that he was in a hospital. Registering the white washed walls, the scent of antiseptics that assaulted his nose and the small vase of flowers by the window, Naruto sat up on his bad, ignoring the protests from his aching muscles. What on earth had happened to put him in such a state?

He winced as his memories returned to him.

'_Oh right… Mizuki-sensei.' _He sighed, _'and the demon fox… Was what he said true? Even Iruka-sensei confirmed it,' _he then winced, remembering what Iruka had said on the video recording. _'So what happens now?' _He felt down right miserable, beaten and weak.

A sound by the windowsill caught his attention as he turned towards it.

"Wolf-san." Naruto greeted, "were you the one that brought me here?"

The brown-haired ANBU stepped inside the room through the window and nodded, before leaning casually onto the wall. "Nice to see you're awake Naruto."

Naruto sighed, "Yeah…"

Behind his mask, the ANBU frowned, he wasn't used to watching Naruto so… quiet. Or sad. In fact, in his entire career he had never seen the brilliant blonde hair boy frown. For the past five years, he was one of the ANBU in charge of following Naruto around and to ensure of his safety. After the incident on his 6th birthday, the Hokage had kept a closer eye on the boy for his own safety. Yamato had yet to find out what transpired between the boy and Mizuki, not to mention the strange animal like thing. The Hokage was still in the office together with his sempai, Kakashi; the leaders of the Yamanaka and Nara clan, Morino Ibiki and two other ANBU officers. The solution of the matter with the wolf had yet to be let out to the public and he knew just about as much as the people watching did. He shrugged it off, knowing he would find out everything in the end. Turning back to the matter at hand, he shifted his attention back at Naruto.

"Neh. Naruto. I heard that you managed to learn a technique from the Scroll of Seals, quite an accomplishment. Which one did you manage to learn?"

For the first time since he entered the room he watched Naruto burst into a big (albeit a little dumb) grin. Naruto trusted Yamato, out of all the people that he had met, Yamato probably have been one of the coolest, always letting him get away with the occasional pranks here and there. Although his 'techniques' still creeped him out a little. "I've mastered the Kage Bunshin!" he said happily.

The elder ninja's eyes widened slightly. A boy of 12? Managing to learn one of Konoha's top jutsus? That would be nearly impossible, even a Chunnin would be hard pressed to find the chakra reserves to perform such a technique. Masking his disbelief, "Really? Show it to me."

"Haih! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Poof. Ten exact replicas of Naruto appeared within the room, and the boy didn't even look winded despite the fact that he was weak from his previous fainting spell. "What do you think Wolf-san? Cool eh?" all eleven Narutos called out at once.

The said ANBU walked up towards the Bunshin of Naruto and placed his hand onto one of their shoulders. They were solid. The man turned to Naruto and even though he was not able to see it, he smiled. "Proud of you Naruto. You did a great job. This is a very difficult jutsu and you've already mastered it very well."

Naruto nodded smugly, before sobering down. Even though he had managed to learn the Kage Bunshin, he was still incredibly lousy at the Bunshin and the Gennin exams were over… Once again, he had failed the test, for the third time.

Yamato was quick to realize Naruto's change in mood. It seemed like the boy was a little more depressed than he'd let on to be. _'Then again this coming from the boy who hides all his life, I wouldn't be surprised.' _Yamato wasn't easily fooled by the façade of idiotism that the boy put on almost every day, himself was like that once upon a time, a long time ago, and he knew exactly how to look 'underneath the underneath' and see the boy for truly what he was. Maybe that's why he never chastised the blonde or even scolded him for his pranks. Deep down inside, he saw a little of himself inside the prankster.

Just as he was about to speak the door opened to reveal a young nurse, interrupting what he was about to say. The ten other Naruto's quickly vanished, leaving the original one behind. Yamato tried his best to ignore the disgusted look that the nurse threw at the young boy, obviously being the one that pulled out the short straw. Yamato had to remind himself that as ANBU he was not allowed to harm civilians' so he bit his tongue. Naruto, however quickly noticed the look and gazed downwards, away from the nurses hateful gaze.

The Hokage had warned him that Naruto was aware of his… 'predicament'. It seemed like it might affect Naruto in more ways than one. He allowed the nurse to continue as she was, checking on his chart and what not, before nodding at him. "He's fine, just minor exhaustion, he may go home." And walking briskly out of the door.

Yamato shook his head, people these days.

"Well Naruto, you heard the nurse, you're able to leave this dreadful place. Speaking of which, the Hokage would like to see you."

Naruto nodded solemnly. He hesitated. "Neh… Wolf-san… What do you know about the Kyuubi?" He asked as he got out of bed and put on his usual horrible orange outfit.

The man shook his head, so the boy really did know. But it wasn't his place to tell. "I'm afraid I don't know too much Naruto. You're gonna have to ask the Hokage that."

The boy kept quiet for a while before looking back up at him, "Shall we go then Wolf-san?"

The ANBU sighed, not used to seeing the boy so… subdued. He nodded before walking out of the room, beckoning Naruto to follow before closing the door behind him.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The Hokage stared sternly at the stoic creature before him. Its great blue eyes staring back in mirth. It was as though the wolf was laughing.

Inside his office he had the sense of familiarity lost when he was out in the streets. In here, he had spent his worse and best of days, his strongest and weakest, personally, he wasn't too sure if this would be one of those memorable moments.

With him was Hatake Kakashi – Son of Konoha's hero, White Fang, who had unfortunately met his demise from the blow of honor he had gained from the Council, till now Sarutobi still felt that small pang of guilt every time he looked at the silver haired Jounin, he knew that he should have done more.

Beside Kakashi was the heads of two prestigious clans in Konoha, Nara and Yamanaka. The Nara clan's uncanny intelligence was a definite plus for the Hokage, being his advisor, Shikaku had one of the most brilliant minds Sarutobi had the pleasure of ever getting to know, only closely rivaled by his genius of a son- Shikamaru. Yamanaka Inoichi's ability to steal another's body and look through their memories was definitely one of the most useful Kekkai Genkai's that the Sandaime had seen in his years, he was also a big help to Ibiki.

The man mentioned, Morino Ibiki, Konoha's top gun, the man in charge of the Interrogation and Questioning unit. He stood at the back of the room, leaning against the wall with one foot propped up against the wall, his large presence seemed to nearly invade the room.

But despite being surrounded by five powerful shinobis, the wolf barely looked like it cared. It sat on its haunches, tail thumping against the ground, almost as though it was… delighted.

The Hokage raised an eyebrow, still uncertain as to how to deal with this situation, or even… how to talk to an animal. Now, Sandaime was quite used to talking to animals, his summons- monkeys, he talked to them all the time and was very much used to it. However, summons in the end were still summons. This wolf, albeit a very playful, mischievous one, just didn't act that way. It seemed too animal like.

"So…"

Silence followed soon after. Five of Konoha's greatest shinobi, in a room, with a wolf, and they had no idea what to say.

"Jii-san! You called?"

The loud boisterous voice of Uzumaki Naruto echoed through the silent room as the large double doors slammed open, revealing the short, blonde-almost ninja, Yamato followed close behind him. Naruto took in the people inside the room and,

"Hey, It's that black wolf thing!" the hyperactive boy shouted, pointing accusingly at the said animal. "You're the one that threatened to eat me!"

If Yamato wasn't engaged at the fact that the wolf did look a lot larger and threatening up close, he would have smiled at the fact that Naruto was back to his usual self.

The wolf bore its fangs in such a way that it looked as though it was grinning sheepishly. The boy quickly turned his attention to the Hokage. "What is going on old man?"

The Hokage sighed, "Well Naruto. We were just trying to find a way to figure it all out before you came busting into the room."

"Well? Why not just ask it?"

Sarutobi frowned, "It's not that simple Naruto, you try talking to a wolf. It's not very easy even though it _does_ seem to understand our words."

"You could've tried." a voice, one that Sarutobi could not recall having to have heard of before called out. The old man's eyes widened.

In that span of half a second, several things happened at once. Ibiki and Yamato had vanished from where they were standing and holding their Kunais to the stranger's throat, Kakashi had also disappeared at the same time, but ended up standing in front of the Hokage blocking him from view. Naruto blinked.

As the dust cleared and silence followed aside from the breathing of the all the people in the room. The Hokage cleared his throat and Kakashi moved out of his way slightly revealing a woman with two scary shinobis having their weapons to her neck.

"Hokage-sama." she greeted, grinning

"EHHH?!?! Where did you come from?!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

He had been a Hokage for a very, very long time and has seen many, many things. Sarutobi Hiruzen was there when the Third Great Shinobi War started and was there when it ended. He was there when Kyuubi rampaged through his beloved Country and killed millions and saw that it took the ultimate sacrifice to subdue it. Indeed he had been through a lot, much more than an average person. But never in his life did Sarutobi ever dreamed of meeting the person sitting in front of him.

She was about Kakashi's age- the woman had long black hair, tumbling across her back and halting just below her hips, it resembled the colour of the fur that the she-wolf previously had, so black that it almost seemed blue. She was tall and lean, a trait that most female ninjas had these days, toned and perfect. She had a very much average built, yet pretty at the same time. She was clad in a tight sleeveless black top that ended at her midriff, exposing her lean, flat stomach, it had two extensions at the sides that resemble ribbons winding down the rest of her stomach and ending at her hips, acting like a belt for her dark blue hot pants which she wore with knee length black combat boots. Over this she wore a simple red cloak that reached the ground, drawn tight around her with a large white belt. It left little to the imagination and Sarutobi was sure that she had already caught the eyes of many.

However, the one thing that stood out the most about her were her eyes. They were such a splendid, beautiful colour it would seem insulting to just call it blue. They were very animal-like, but large and intelligent at the same time. All in all, she greatly resembled the wolf that was previously standing in the middle of the room.

No surprise really, seeing as she _was _that wolf.

Sarutobi had yet to hear of a Kekkai Genkai that allowed transformation. Not henge, mind you, but real transformation between a person and an animal. It was something new, something unheard of, even to him. He would definitely have to question her more about that.

His eyes roamed over the weapons that the woman was holding, two thin, but relatively long katanas were strapped to the back, they were sheathed now but it can be seen that one has a white hilt whilst the other has a black one. Without a doubt, this woman was a double wielder. He was impressed; they were rare these days, as it was more difficult and inefficient if not trained properly to use two swords with both hands at one time.

Sarutobi sighed, pushing away those thoughts and looking back down to the letter in his hands.

'_From Namikaze Minato.' _The Hokage mused with himself, wondering just how ironically bad this day could go. The man raised his gaze back to the woman in front of him.

The other people in the room had calmed down after the surprise of her appearance wore off, after ensuring that the woman would not cause them any harm, Kakashi and the rest backed off, now standing on either side of the Hokage and the rest at the back of the room. Naruto was told to go home and rest, that the Hokage would talk to him another time, and with much noise and protest, the boy agreed. A lot of hassle, but now the atmosphere of the room had somewhat calmed down.

"How do I not know this is not a fake?" Sarutobi asked, referring to the letter in his hands.

The woman shook her head, "Minato told me that you would know. I did not discover he was dead until the recent years when I was traveling through the Fire Country, I would've been here earlier if I could."

Kakashi looked up in surprise, so this woman knew the Fourth Hokage? Minato was like a father he had never had after the 'incident'. They were surprisingly close, especially after Obito's death. He frowned. What could this girl have in common with his sensei? And what on earth was she doing outside the Fire Country?

What was the old man Hokage talking about anyway?

No one inside the room aside from Sarutobi had seen the piece of parchment that he held tightly in his hands, it piqued the curiosity of the others in the room when his face visibly paled as his eyes roamed across the pages. Kakashi hadn't care all that much at first, but with the mention of his deceased teacher's name, he was itching to read it.

It undoubtedly involved Naruto, as the boy so unceremoniously chased out of the room if it hadn't. He saw Inoichi and Shikaku exchanging looks and he tensed. There was something fishy about this whole business.

"What is your name?" Sarutobi asked

"Akai, Meridain Akai."

Kakashi frowned, Akai… Akai just happened to sound a little bit familiar, it was like an annoying itch in the back of his brain, someone familiar but he just couldn't remember.

But the Third Hokage shook his head. "I'm afraid it doesn't ring a bell, I don't recall Minato saying anything about this."

Akai sighed, "It's honestly no surprise though… Minato was never one to plan too much ahead of time." She shook her head, tears gathering slightly. "I still can't believe he died."

The Hokage wisely kept his mouth shut. Even though she was a stranger, it seemed like she really cared about the late Hokage, it was something that was imbedded in her eyes that you could clearly see. He shifted uncomfortably, before sighing.

"What about your bloodline limit? Which is what I'm assuming it is. I've never heard of a Jutsu that could actively transform you into another being."

Akai shook her head. "No, it's not a bloodline limit. It's a little like a gift really." She shrugged, "It's a little difficult to explain and I hope you forgive my reluctance to do so. Every secret a ninja has, can either save a life or end it. I would prefer to keep this one to myself."

He opened his mouth to protest.

"I'm not obligated by any rule Hokage-sama." She interrupted. "I do not belong to this village after all."

"But you are still within our village and an intruder in fact. By right you should be with Ibiki down in the dungeons. It is only because you saved Naruto here that is why you have the courtesy of being in such a comfortable position."

The woman slammed her palm on the table as she stood onto her feet; she glowered down at the surprised man. The other shinobis looked up at the sudden movement, their hands automatically went to their weapons. But Akai ignored it.

"Do not take me for a fool Hokage-sama. I am only here to do what is asked of me and I will be gone. Do not think that I do not know how your entire pathetic country has treated my charge. Do not think that I am calm and patient enough to sit through all that bullshit. You've seen how easily I can get in and out of this place and if I wanted to I could have just taken him and left. So why not just let me do something that I came here to do?"

There was a tensed silence, before the angered woman sat back down onto her chair, breathing deeply to calm herself.

Sarutobi shook his head, slightly weary of the girl and of the underlying threat that she made behind her little speech, he would have to keep a closer eye on this one. "But I'm afraid I cannot allow you to do that. There is no proof of the authenticity of this letter."

The black-haired woman was silent, after a few aching seconds she started, as though she remembered something, she looked back up to the Hokage. "Maybe there is, do you by chance know what happened to my sister?"

"Your sister?" He searched through his memory "I'm afraid I have not come across the name 'Meridain'."

She shook her head. "No, my sister goes by a different name. We're not blood related, but we lived together for most of our lives, she practically brought me up."

"Oh?"

"Her name's Uzumaki Kushina."

**XXXXX **_**End of Chapter 3**_** XXXXX**

Sorry for taking such a long time to update, sleepovers, work, etc. The usual, it kind bonged up by schedule a little so I was busy for a while. My sincerest apologies for making you guys wait for so long.

Is this Chapter too confusing? Don't get what's going on? I can spoil it for you if you want but I'd rather not. Everything will be explained in the next chapter. =] Promise. So stay tuned!

But yes, the OC indeed is Naruto's Aunt! Teehee. I kinda wanted to make the story a little twisted. So we'll see how this goes from here. Hopefully, you liked this chapter. =]

Review please, I would like to know what you think about this chapter!

*DRUMROLL* =D

x


	4. Chapter 4 Returns

**Summary:** What if Iruka didn't come to Naruto's aid when Mizuki struck? What if he was unconscious at the time and someone else came instead? Watch, as Naruto defies all odds thrown against him and becomes the stuff of legends, with some extra guidance of course.

**Time:** Set after the Gennin Exams

**Major Pairings:** KakashiOCItachi SasukeSakura

**Disclaimer:** Sigh, as per usual, I really wish I own Naruto. =] DUN DUN DUN. THIS is where the real story starts. =D

**Reviewers:** Thank you for the reviews; you guys are my lifeline. COOKIES.

**Extra Need-To-Know Information: **  
I have pushed back the Chunnin Exams to 4 years from the Naruto's Gennin Exam.  
Naruto is currently age 16.  
Sasuke and Sakura are 16 too from this point of the story.  
(Ages of the other characters would be posted in the bottom of this chapter)

Chapter 4  
**Returns**

So it was time.

Four years ago she took him under her wing. Four years ago with three simple words she tore past his defenses and made him throw away his mask. Four years ago she started on this journey.

Four years later, here she stood, watching, waiting; proud of the way he had turned out. Proud of the type of person he had become. Proud to call herself his teacher. Proud to call him,

"Namikaze-Uzumaki-Meridain Naruto."

Her soft whisper could barely be heard as she knelt down, perched on a tree, strands of black hair that escaped her complicated chignon flaying in her face.

She barely noticed.

Instead, her attentions was captured by the boy, no, no longer just a boy, but a young man at the ripe age of 16, standing a distance not too far away from her, below the tree she had taken refugee upon.

The teenager stood at 5'10" with spiky blond hair with deep red highlights that he had grown out so that it flared across his back, giving him a sort of wild, messy, yet tentatively handsome look at the same time. His cerulean blue eyes gleamed, harden over the years yet still displayed a childish innocence, a determined personality. He had darkened whisker marks striking across each cheek, emphasizing his feral features even more. Dawned upon him was a black tight T which highlighted his sinewy good looks, tightening just at the right placed to reveal the contours of his taunt muscles. He wore loose long black pants, and underneath, black combat boots. Over all of this, very much like his sensei, he wore an deep crimson cloak that swept the floor as he walked, on the back the large kanji of the word 'Fox' and the Uzumaki clan symbol on the right sleeve with the Meridain clan symbol on the left.

She could scarcely believe this was the same boy came from Konohagakure so many years ago. Gone was the small, annoying brat that was renown as a prankster. Gone was the loud-mouthed, pathetic excuse of a shinobi. Gone was the weak, helpless boy that was on the receiving end of the hatred that plagued the brainless civilians. Even now, his growth surprises her. That same boy now replaced with this matured, powerful, smart young man- someone that she was just so glad had-

"ITAI!"

-Maybe not.

Meridain Akai smacked the front of her forehead in distress as she hopped off the tree that she was standing on, landing lightly in front of the fallen shinobi who had managed to trip on a large protruding rock that he did not see in his way.

The said shinobi quickly pounced to his feet, punching the rock, causing it to crumble beneath his fist.

Akai sweat-dropped.

"YOU STUPID ROCK!"

She sighed.

"Naruto…" her voice laced with warning.

The boy gulped.

"What did I say about stealth for the FIFTH HUNDRED TIME!"

The boy cowered, now slightly regretting the fact that he had just destroyed the perfect hiding place from the wrath of the hell he knew that was about to come.

"Bu-But Akai-sensei…" he whined, "It didn't have to-"

"BINDING WEIGHTS NO JUTSU!"

The blonde haired shinobi struggled as chains shot out of the ground and tied themselves around him. Ten chains, each weighing at least 100kg, wrapped around his arms, legs, waist, chest and feet. Naruto struggled to stay upright with the weight bearing down on him.

"Akai-sen-sensei." The boy panted from his excursion.

The sadistic woman just shrugged. "This would teach the lesson if nothing would. You are to keep up with me without falling behind. Every time you lose a meter on me another chain will warp around you, but you know the drill. So, don't fall behind." She winked at him and grinned ferally, before taking off at high speed towards the North, the general direction where a large city could be seen.

Naruto groaned loudly as he forced his body to move, trying to keep up with his cruel teacher. This was Akai's favourite punishment technique, adding the extra weights onto his already heavy weights that he had inside his clothing. The first time he went through it each chain only weighed 10kg, but after the years, it just got worse.

A chain shot up from the ground and successfully wrapped itself around his neck. Naruto gasped in surprise. The woman in front of him turned around, "you're falling behind." She taunted in a melodious tone before picking up the pace.

Naruto swore under his breath before forcing himself to move faster, adding chakra to his steps to give him that necessary boost to keep up with her.

The woman just laughed as the exercise continued.

However, the fun didn't last long. Too soon did the large village of Konohagakure came into view and Akai halted just out of sight from the guards at the gates. Naruto, not sensing her sudden stillness until a minute too late, came crashing to the ground due to the momentum gained from his heavy weights to avoid smacking into her. He landed unceremoniously at her feet, face in the ground. He groaned.

"Kai." The black haired beauty said, not paying attention as the chains dug themselves back into the ground. Naruto stood up onto his own feet, brushing off the dust and dirt and whatever not on his clothing before turning to his sensei.

"That was cruel Akai-sensei. I didn't really cause that much of a commotion. I mean, okay, maybe destroying the rock was-…" Naruto trailed off when he realized that his sensei had that faraway look in her eyes that she usually had when she was deep in thought. He frowned and followed her line of gaze, wondering what it was that caused his teacher to be struck dumb. He nearly smacked himself for not noticing the large village in front of him until now.

"Konoha…"

Akai nodded, shaking away the thoughts that had drifted into her head, before turning to Naruto. She smiled softly at him, all sorts of emotions flashing into her eyes at a million miles per second. Naruto looked back, a little surprised at how raw and vulnerable she looked, something he didn't get to see often, but he understood why she reacted that way. He turned his gaze back to his old home.

'_Home…' _he stole a sideway glance at Akai, who had yet to say anything, but resumed walking towards the village gates, nodding at him to follow. _'They always said home is where the heart is' _

Naruto walked beside her, keeping pace with her steps. _'Is this my home then?' _The boy shook his head.

The woman didn't know how much she meant to Naruto. How much that because of her, he was the person he currently was, how much he cherished her. There was not a single thing in the world that Naruto would not give up for Akai to be safe and happy.

'_Wherever you go Akai-sensei, that shall always be my home.'_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The Sandaime of the Great Hidden Village of Konohagakure stood by the gateposts, anxiously glancing at his watch every now and again. Today was the day that she had promised to bring him home; today was the day that Konoha's greatest hero, although they did not know it yet, would return home.

But what if she didn't follow through with her promise? What if she had taken him to another side of the world? Then they would not know for sure right?

The Hokage frowned, no; the sister of Uzumaki Kushina would never do that. If Meridain Akai was anything like her sister, she would never go back on her word.

"_I promise Hokage-sama. You have my word, that is just my ninja way."_

Yes, he just had to believe her words and have a little more faith in that strange, yet familiar woman.

"Hokage-sama." An ANBU greeted formally with a respectful bow before standing straight again. "Two figures, much like the ones you've described are heading towards the village."

Sarutobi let out a great sigh of relief, before looking back at the ANBU with a new vigor.

"Allow them in as soon as they have confirmed their ID."

"Yes sir." The ANBU then vanished from view.

"Hokage-sama." The familiar silver haired jounin called out from behind him. Walking together with him were Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura, Naruto's soon would be three-man team.

Sasuke and Sakura had lost their teammate in a misplaced C-class mission that turned out to be an A-ranked mission in the Wave Country. Hyuuga Karin- a mischievous yet benevolent girl, maverick and brave at the same time. This loss had spiraled Team Seven into depression, fortunately enough, they all managed to recover from this loss barely a month ago.

Sasuke now had the Sharingan and Sakura turned from the fan girl to a determined, strong individual. Although Karin's death was of a great loss, Sarutobi was glad that instead of suffering, the two gennins had improved both in personality and skill.

The Third Hokage smiled softly and nodded in greeting, before turning back to the gates that were opening, _'Welcome home, Uzumaki Naruto.'_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Naruto. Wait." The young woman hesitated, stopping her charge at his feet. The boy looked at her quizzically.

"Yes Akai-sensei?"

"I want you to promise me that you won't tell anyone about your true powers, without my consent."

The blonde hunk of a thing rolled his eyes. "Yes sensei, I know, I know, not to let them see really what I can do, let them underestimate me, etc. Four years ago you were saying the exact same words sensei. I get it."

Akai grinned, shaking her head. "Fine fine. I'll give you some benefit of the doubt." Before he could take another step she stopped him again.

"What?" he asked, a little annoyed to being stopped a second time. The woman just gigged as she took out a piece of tissue out of her pocket and wiped down the dirt that was on his face from when he had fell to the ground previously.

"I don't want you to go into your new home looking a mess now would I?"

Naruto blushed, sometimes; sometimes it was easy to forget that Akai was more than just a teacher to him. Sometimes, she'd act so motherly that it hurt not to draw the woman into a hug. Their relationship, nephew and aunt, was a little strange. She held him, helped him through his pain, and yet was willing to grind him into the ground when she was teaching him. He smiled warmly at her. "Thank you Akai-sensei."

She just smiled.

"State your name and business." An ANBU called out from the guard posts above, his partner jumped down and landed in front of them. Akai handed him both Naruto's and her own passport.

"Meridain Akai and Uzumaki Naruto returning to Konoha after a four year training journey."

The ANBU took several seconds to look through their details, before nodding. "Welcome home Akai-san, Naruto-san."

Akai smiled, "Thank you."

As the great gates of Konoha opened, revealing four silhouettes just beyond the border. Akai recognized two of them- the old man Hokage and the jounin Hatake Kakashi. Her gaze then drifted to the two other people standing just by the jounin, a pink haired kunoichi that personally, Akai doubted could even pack a punch, next to her was-

Oh.

It wasn't hard to recognize the last, remaining (sane) Uchiha. His dark, brooding eyes stared hard at her, as though sizing her up. He was a mirror image, a doppelganger version of Uchiha Itachi. Younger, with a hint of innocence that Itachi no longer held, they both had the same aura of arrogance too. Akai swallowed.

She forgot that his younger brother was in Konoha. Hell, she forgot that he even _came _from Konoha. Akai quickly shook her head, suppressing the memories threatening to bubble in the surface. Instead, she ignored the dark haired boy and walked towards the Hokage.

"Welcome back Akai." The old man greeted.

The woman bowed formally. "Thank you Hokage-sama, Nice to see you again Kakashi-san."

The silver haired jounin stared wearily at the woman in front of him, even until now not forgetting the result from the spar he had with her four years ago.

**XXXXX **_**Flashback**_** XXXXX**

"_You've got to be kidding me Kakashi-san. This is all you've got?"_

_Kakashi groaned as he heaved himself off the floor, ignoring the sharp prick of pain that stabbed at his side. He reached down his leg and pulled out the kunai imbedded into his thigh, before throwing it to the side. He gazed up at the sadistically powerfully woman in front of him._

_Even though Kakashi was having one of his worse spars ever, it was without a doubt to anyone watching what the end result of this spar would be by the end of the day._

_Kakashi looked beaten and half dead. Struggling to even stand onto his own two feet. His partner, however, only looked like she had a little worse to wear, but overall, barely harmed. Slight scratches here and there, but that was it._

_And it was only five minutes into the spar too._

"_I can't believe they call you a the copy ninja."_

**XXXXX **_**Flashback Ends**_** XXXXX**

Kakashi nodded at the woman who put him into the hospital for three days straight after their spar. "Nice to see you too Akai-san. These two are Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke, my gennin team."

Akai once again let her gaze wonder over his two students, stopping at Sasuke. The uncanny likeliness between the two Uchiha brothers really freaked her out. She nodded in greeting, "Nice to meet you Sakura-san, Sasuke-san, I'm Meridain Akai."

The pink-haired girl smiled and returned her greetings, the younger Uchiha however, just grunted.

Akai shuddered, _'Maybe a little too much like his elder brother.' _Surveying him, it sent shivers up her spine.

The Hokage cleared his throat, catching their attention. "Now that familiarities are out of the way, where is Naruto?"

Akai raised an eyebrow as she turned around, only to be met by a blank space. She could've sworn Naruto was behind her two seconds ago. Her hand twitched before she sighed. "Sorry Hokage-sama. Naruto does that sometimes."

"NARUTO-BAKA. GET BACK HERE."

In a flash, Naruto appeared beside her, "Yes sensei?" his voice laced with boredom.

Sarutobi, Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura all started. Several thoughts racing through their thoughts at the same time.

'_Where on earth did he come from? He moved so fast! I didn't even manage to sense him- Oh my, and he's really good looking too.'_

'_He's strong. Is he an avenger too? Maybe he can help me achieve my goal.'_

'_THIS is my new student? Holy… hell.'_

'_My has he grown… Even I could barely sense his presence, and I'm not the Hokage for nothing.'_

'_Stupid brat. Had to show off that way. What happened to not revealing your true powers? Not that it even comes close to it. But still.' _Akai sighed, realizing that the damage was already done; by the look of stupor on each of the ninjas faces she just shook her head. _'Baka.'_

The Hokage was the fastest to recover from his shock and smiled at the blonde haired gennin. Aside from his obvious display of prowess and speed, the boy indeed has changed within the short four years that he had been gone. He wasn't that scrawny little boy anymore, he had grown out, pass his baby fat and now displayed a definite image of a powerful shinobi. And judging by the blush that grace Sakura's cheeks, he was good looking as well.

"Show more respect to your elders Naruto. I'm sure you recognize the Hokage-sama."

Naruto stood up straight and bowed respectfully. "It is good to be home Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi felt his eyebrows shoot into his residing hairline. Naruto had just called him… woah. Now that definitely was a change he was not expecting. He quickly shook himself out of his daze and smiled kindly at the boy. "Of course. This is your gennin team who you are going to be taking your Chunnin exams with; your mentor, Hatake Kakashi,"

"Yo." The man said with a two finger wave, his visible eye curved into an upside down U.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

The boy just grunted.

"And Haruno Sakura."

The pink haired gennin smiled and blushed prettily. Aside from Sasuke, she had never seen such a… good-looking boy before. Ever. He was the complete opposite of Sasuke. Sasuke was dark, broody, mysterious sort of handsome. But this boy, he was bright, excitable, respectful and just so damn sexy.

The boy who was no longer a boy nodded respectfully at Kakashi, nodded in greeting at the stoic Uchiha, unfazed by his emotionless wall and smiled handsomely to the flustered girl.

"Kakashi-sama, Uchiha-san… Sakura-san." He lingered slightly on the last name, voice sounding as though it was promising things, watching, as the poor girl turned into an even deeper shade of red.

Akai just rolled her eyes. She knew she shouldn't have taught him how to attract women; now the whole population of females would be crawling over the young blonde if he didn't reign in his libido. But for now, she allowed him to do as he pleased. Getting his teammates to like him after all would be a great benefit if he wanted to pass the Chunnin exams. She watched carefully at the pink haired girl nearly melted under his gaze-

Maybe not too much, she doesn't want the fan girl to be heartbroken after all.

She turned her attention back at the words that came out of the Hokage's mouth. He handed her and Naruto a key each. "Arrangements have been made for your stay. You both get a key to an apartment just by the Hokage tower. Naruto, why don't you go with your team to get settled down and get to know each other? The Chunnin Exam is within a week and you have a lot to do."

Akai and the Hokage watched as the blonde nodded and turned towards his team. He knew it wouldn't take too long for them to become familiar with each other, supposing that Naruto had not lost his social skills. The team of four waved good-bye with a respectful 'Hokage-sama' and 'Akai-san' with the exception of Naruto's 'Akai-sensei'.

Akai just shook her head. Sometimes she disliked how Naruto would retreat back into his shell when he was with strangers. Sure he was flirtatious and respectful, but he wasn't the Naruto that she knew and love. She only hoped that he would be able to trust them enough to work as a team with them.

"Well Akai-san. I assume we have a lot of things to discuss, why not come back to my office?"

The woman nodded in agreement, her gaze trailing after her blonde nephew as he vanished from view, before following after the Hokage.

Neither of them noticed a pair of blood red eyes following their every move.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Just how much has Naruto improved Akai-san?" The Hokage asked.

Once again, Akai found herself inside the same room four years ago when she had last came to this village. The small, unassuming office barely changed at all, aside from a new desk, it seems like the Hokage didn't do much redecorating. She shook her head. "I would say higher-Chunnin, lower-Jounin level?"

Sarutobi nodded, impressed. He had his doubts that a mere gennin could gain that much skill in the span of four short years, but then again this was Naruto they were talking about. The Hokage have yet to meet someone who was as headstrong or as determined as that boy. He kept his opinions to himself. The Chunnin exams after all, were a mere week away. He would be able to see how the boy has changed since then.

"What about his Jutsu skills?"

Akai scoffed. "Naruto would not be able to do a Genjutsu to save his life. Thankfully though, he is able to sense them and dispel most B-rank and below illusions. As for his ninjutsu and taijutsu, they excelled beyond even my own expectations. He indeed is an amazing boy of talent."

The old man nodded, "What about you then Akai-san? What do you plan to do now that is off your tutelage?"

"Don't get me wrong Hokage-sama. Naruto would never really be just a student. I-" she hesitated.

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"

Akai, for the first time since the Hokage got to know her, blushed as she looked down at the floor. "I- plan on adopting him. As a son. As _my_ son. If- if he wants to."

His eyes softened, a small smile graced his lips. So the unlovable demon has finally found someone that was willing to take care of him, to love and protect him. Sarutobi wondered if Naruto knew the extent of how much Akai felt for the boy. She was young, around Kakashi's age, a little too young to take on a son as her own. But four years definitely had brought them closer and the blonde was now a teenager, no longer a child. Maybe she was doing the right thing.

"I- I have not asked him yet. But I plan to… Tonight."

The Hokage nodded, understanding. "Of course. I will get the documents signed and ready for you tomorrow morning. If Naruto is willing to go through with it."

The young woman smiled thankfully as she nodded.

Maybe tomorrow would be a different day, maybe tomorrow the sun would shine brighter or the sky would be more blue. Maybe tomorrow…

Maybe tomorrow she'd be a mother.

**XXXXX **_**End of Chapter 4 **_**XXXXX**

Uhuh uhuh uhuh, I like it. Uhuh uhuh.  
=D Naruto is now. CHANGED. Teehee.  
Will reveal more about how he has changed, so on so forth on the later chapters. =] This is more of less the start of the story (finally!) I hope you like it. Because this is where it all begins, the excitement!

I want a little more drama, a little more love in this. I don't want this story to turn into a pure adventure, naruto-kicking ass sort of story. We'll see how things go! =]

As said previously,  
Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto and the rest of the Rookie Nine – 16 years old  
Neji, Tenten, Lee – 17  
Gai, Kakashi – 28  
OC (Akai) – 27  
If you want to know who else just tell me and I'd let you know. Hope you liked the chapter!

Be my hero and review?

x


	5. Chapter 5 Family

**Summary:** What if Iruka didn't come to Naruto's aid when Mizuki struck? What if he was unconscious at the time and someone else came instead? Four years has passed since then and no longer is he one to be looked down upon. Watch, as Naruto defies all odds thrown against him and becomes the stuff of legends, with some extra guidance of course.

**Time:** Set after the Gennin Exams

**Major Pairings:** KakashiOCItachi SasukeSakura

**Disclaimer:** Sigh, as per usual, I really wish I own Naruto. =] DUN DUN DUN. THIS is where the real story starts. =D

**Reviewers:** Thank you for the reviews, you guys are my life line. COOKIES.

**Extra Need-To-Know Information: **  
I don't think there is any this chapter… But review if you have queries! Or just PM me. =]

Oh and HYUUGA KARIN is an OC =]

Chapter 5  
**Family**

How long has it been since he walked the streets of Konoha?

Four years did not seem like a very long time if you think about it. But the journey he had made, the people he had met, places he had seen, everything propelled him to move forward, to become stronger, faster, better. In that short four years he had learned more, become more experienced, than most jounin shinobis would within a ten-year gap.

In all honesty, it was strange to be back to these familiar streets. Strange to once again be the object of everybody's stares. It was an understatement to say that he had not changed, in fact, most barely recognized him, instead of sending him looks of hatred and contempt, he received those of curiosity, wonderment and occasionally, infatuation. It wasn't as though Naruto wasn't used to these kind of stares, no, after all, Naruto did evolve into a very handsome young man- it was just that he did not expected them from the citizens of Konoha, especially after all the treatment he had received for the previous 12 years of his life. He shrugged it off, if Konoha wanted his respect, they'd have to work for it. In his journey he learnt many things, one of those was that to never place himself underneath others.

Naruto's musings were put to an abrupt halt as one of his favourite stores came into view.

"Ramen?" Naruto inquired with a raised eyebrow as himself and his new teammates stepped into Ichikaru Ramen. Secretly, he was glad of their choice of lunch. Albeit unhealthy and detested by Akai, ramen was one of Naruto's favourite foods. He was glad that they had decided to come here instead. He has not forgotten the delicious aroma that seemed to waft out of this particular shop. Ichikaru Ramen would always and forever be his favourite ramen bar.

He shrugged as none seemed to reply his question, not that he cared much as the newly made team of four sat down at the cushioned seats towards the back of the restaurant. Little did he know, his unanswered question had affected the three more than he anticipated.

Hyuuga Karin- although she belonged to one of the most prestigious clans within the Konoha, being a branch member, her death was not treated with the severity that a main member would have received.

However, this did not affect the reactions that rippled through what was left of Team Seven.

Unbeknown to Karin, her part within the team was more than just a placement. She was the reason Team Seven grew the way that it did, she was the tie that held all the four pieces together. Loud, obnoxious, sure. But without her, Sakura would not have wanted to reach her fullest potential; without her, Sasuke would not be alive; without her, Kakashi would have forgotten what it was like to have a family. Even now, a year after her death she affected the rest of her team more than she would have guessed. Tribute to her memory, unconsciously, the team would find themselves eating within Ichikaru Ramen at least once every month.

Why they had brought Naruto here? It puzzled them as well. But maybe they felt like because this was Karin's favourite place to eat, her presence would help them understand and get to know their new teammate better. Hell, maybe they'd even become close friends.

"May I take your orders please?" the waitress asked, blushing slightly at the sight of the godliness that was their newest member of their team. Ayame used to do that to Sasuke too when they first came to the shop, but after such a long time, that attraction to the dark-haired Uchiha wore off. After all, those death glares scared her more than anything.

Naruto smiled kindly at the waitress, hand reaching up and brushing through his long hair, that small movement causing the muscles in his biceps to tense slightly, stretching the black top that he was wearing. This caused Ayame to blush even more. "I would take 2 bowls of Miso Ramen please, and 3 Beef and 1 more Chicken."

Forget gaping at his good looks, the waitress now gaped at his order as she hurriedly wrote them down. Their store had not received that much business since…

"Naruto-kun?" she asked, blinking owlishly as realization hit her.

The blonde grinned and nodded, "Haih Ayame-neechan. It's nice to see you again."

Kakashi watched as the boy chatted lightly with the waitress who he had obviously known when he was younger, before he left. It didn't take a genius to find out the love for Ramen that the blonde had. He just shook his head. He didn't know anyone else who could eat as much as Naruto could, except maybe Karin, and only on her good days too.

He looked into the distance, unable to help the feeling that someone up there was laughing down at them.

Maybe Karin was helping them out after all.

"So Naruto-san, how long has it been since you left Konoha?" Sakura asked as the waitress left to bustle about in the kitchen. Naruto turned to answer her question.

"Four years now, and please, I hate formalities. Naruto or Naruto-kun would suffice."

Sakura blushed lightly. "Naruto-kun it is then. So tell us a little more about yourself."

Naruto grinned before shaking his head. "There's three of you guys and one of me. Shouldn't you introduce yourselves first?"

Sakura grinned back, his aura getting to her. She liked how aloof and carefree the boy seemed. He really reminded herself of Karin… "I'm Haruno Sakura, I'm 16 this year and am currently a genin, I like… to make myself stronger so that a certain someone would be able to notice me," her light blush and not-so-concealed glance at the cold hearted Uchiha next to her made it easy for Naruto to know just exactly who she was talking about. Naruto recalled from his academy days the crushes that majority of the class had on Sasuke, it seemed like something's never change, but still, he admired her resolve and the fact that she's doing something about it. "I dislike Ino-pig. And my ambition is to help the one I love."

Naruto's gaze went to the Uchiha as he grunted, "Uchiha Sasuke, I don't like many things and I greatly dislike people weaker than me. My ambition is to become strong and kill a certain man, and also to restore my clan."

The blonde haired genin raised an eyebrow at his words. So Uchiha Sasuke wanted to be the bringer of death for his brother huh? It wasn't as though Naruto was daft to the world and did not know whom the dark haired boy was talking about. After all, Akai-sensei did tell him once upon a time. Naruto didn't know if he felt sorry for Sasuke, it seems like the death of his clan made him more introvert and a lot more arrogant than intended. He quickly reverted his attention to his new teacher.

"Hatake Kakashi. Jounin and ex-ANBU captain. I like many things, dislike many things and my ambition is to… hmm…"

Naruto sweat dropped. He knew who Hatake Kakashi was, had heard about him from all over the world, the son of White Fang, the renown copy ninja who knew over 1000 jutsus. But from the information the silver haired ex ANBU gave him, he barely learnt anything new.

"Well… That was helpful." He grumbled to himself, before breaking into a ear splitting smile. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto," although I am also a Meridain." He wisely chose to keep his connection to the Yondaime a secret, knowing it would cause a lot more trouble than good. "I like training, ramen and socializing, I detest back stabbing, arrogant assholes and Orochimaru. My ambition is to become the Hokage."

His introduction gained several different responses from his new team. Sakura being one of slight admiration and Sasuke one of disbelief, disbelief in the sense that he did not think that Naruto would ever be able to be that powerful. Kakashi, however, just smiled behind his mask.

'_Well sensei, you indeed do have an interesting son.'_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The rain poured heavily as it smacked against her skin, causing a stingy-like sensation across her body.

But she barely noticed.

All she could think of, all she could see was his profile disappearing from view.

Her heart felt like it has been wrenched from her chest, torn out from between her lungs, crushed and stepped on a million times over. It was like someone decided to strangle her insides, cutting off all sensations except for the excruciating pain.

"Don't do this to me. Please. Please. Don't" she half muttered and moaned to herself, to him, as she knelt on the ground, curled into a ball, blood, tears, mixing with the pitter patter of the rain. Her pain so significant she could not even move.

"I'm sorry."

With two simple words. Just like that, he was gone.

Her life, her everything.

Gone.

Akai woke up, gasping for breath as cold sweat matted her forehead, causing her black hair to stick to her skin.

What was that?

She hadn't dreamt about him, hadn't dreamt about that night for a very long time. Six years was a long time to reminisce on unwanted memories and ever since Naruto – the bright ball of energy had entered her life. She hadn't allowed herself to fall back into the steps she took a long time ago.

What caused this reaction?

Puzzled, Akai quickly pushed away all thoughts and remembrance of the pain dealt long ago and got to her feet. She grabbed her towel and all her other things and stepped into the shower. The cold water would wash away her thoughts, it would help.

"Akai-sensei!" a familiar voice called out as she heard the front door shut. Akai smiled a smile she usually reserved just for the boy that she learnt to love so much. She stepped out of the shower, towel wrapped around her chest and another towel around her wet hair.

"I'm in the shower Naruto." She answered, knowing that the boy had this phobia of her being hurt every time she failed to reply. She walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, relishing the feeling of the cold wooden floor on the soles of her feet. "What are you preparing?"

The recognizable sight of the blond boy huddling over the kitchen stove was one that she always savored seeing. She took a glance out of the window and noted that it was already late. It was around 7, the sun lying low on the horizon. She hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep for so long, the meeting with the Hokage ending just after three. She had come home and unpacked everything for both herself and Naruto. It took about two hours before she fell asleep on the couch, exhausted from all the dusting and what not.

"I'm doing your favourite fish with the garl- ARGH!" Akai's head shot towards Naruto, only to see that he had turned around and now has both his eyes shielded by a fish that he had been de-scaling, "AKAI-SENSEI! PUT ON SOME CLOTHING!"

Akai stifled a giggle, shaking her head. "Awh, Naruto-kun." She put on her teasing voice, loving the fact that the boy always got so worked up so easily. "It's not as though you haven't seen another girl nake-"

"GET OUT!"

She shook her head, stealing one more glance at the furiously red boy; the scene was just too funny for her with him holding the fish like that. She burst out laughing. "Haih haih Naruto-kun." She chided as she walked out of the kitchen and into her own room.

Akai emerged, five minutes later, fully dressed with a plain red shirt and a pair of comfortable jeans. She set at the counter, fingers drumming on the table as she watched the boy work.

It came to be a great surprise to her when she realized that the boy had an affinity for cooking. He took it up really quickly, learning from numerous people and he soon became the regular cook for their small household. Her own cooking was not great; in fact, a person would only eat it if they were about to be starved to death. Akai shook her head, recalling the first time Naruto ate her food. He spent the rest of the day brushing his tongue to take away the taste of her food. After that, swore that she'd never ever cook for both of them ever again.

"Food's done." Naruto said as he placed a plate of fish and vegetables on the table. Akai nodded and went to take plates for the rice whilst he prepared the table. They ate in a comfortable silence, something that they both treasured dearly. After both of them were done, they cleaned up, Akai washing the dished while Naruto dried them and put them back into place. They both got a cup of hot tea and sat in the living room. It was almost like a ritual for them, this was when they talked and caught up with each other's lives.

Akai felt that hint of nervousness building within her, knowing that she would soon have to ask the question she'd been dying to for the past year. But first things first- "How're things with your new team?"

Naruto shrugged, sipping from his cup. "They seem alright. Sasuke seems like an arrogant arse that might need to be whipped into shape. Sakura, albeit willing to become stronger, still is a fan girl underneath all that and Kakashi… Well, he's just Kakashi."

She smiled knowingly, "You do know you are supposed to call him Kakashi-sensei from now on right?"

Naruto frowned. "But what if I don't want to? I mean, you'll always and forever be my sensei."

"You can always have two senseis."

"But still… It'll feel wrong. Plus, everything he's going to teach me, you've probably taught me already. So what's the point?"

Akai laughed softly, she shifted so that she sat on her legs. She placed her cup on the coffee table and intertwined her fingers nervously. "What if… I change that?"

Naruto looked up at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"What if… Kakashi and myself don't both have to be your teachers."

He nodded, "That's what I was saying Akai-sensei, I mean, he isn't _exactly _really going to be my teacher so what's the point?"

She giggled anxiously. Well, here goes nothing. "I mean, Naruto-kun. Something else." He opened his mouth, still looking at her quizzically, she quickly cut him off. "Hear me out first."

Naruto's mouth closed shut.

"Well… We've been traveling together for four years… and it's safe to say that we know each other enough and stuff…"

Naruto nodded, still looking confused.

"What… What would you say… if I wanted to adopt you…?"

Naruto froze. "Are you… serious?"

"Yes! Not. Not that you have to say yes. It's no pressure. I just, I was just wondering, because you know. Yeah. We've you know. And I do see you as a son and-" Akai's stuttering was put to an abrupt halt as the blonde haired 16 year old jumped off his seat and onto the floor, arms wrapped around her waist and head buried in her lap. Her eyes immediately soften as she ran her fingers through his soft blonde hair.

"Do you mean it…?" the boy asked softly as he looked up at her, tears gathering within his innocent blue eyes. Akai's heart went out to him, not believing that she had doubts about this. There was not a thing in the world Akai would not do for the boy she had came to care so much about. He was the reason she still walked this world, he was the reason she was not the shell she used to be. His light, he brought her back to the world of the living.

"Yes, Naruto-kun. I want to make you officially Meridain Naruto. I want you to be part of my family."

To Naruto, a person who never had a family ever since the day he was born, for a person who had suffered alone for the first 12 years of his life. It meant the world. He looked up at the eyes of his saviour from his loneliness and nodded furiously.

"Yes Akai-sensei. I accept."

The woman smiled softly as she slid off the couch and joined him on the floor, gathering the now tearing boy into her arms and wrapped them tightly around him. "It's Kaasan now Naruto-kun. I'm glad we're now officially a family."

It was funny really, one broken by life, another, broken before birth, now they found solace in each others arms, in each others world. They were each other's own anchor, they were each other's crying shoulder. It was both beautiful and inspiring at the same time.

Akai buried her face into his shoulder as they both cried tears of joy.

**XXXXX **_**End of Chapter 5 **_**XXXXX**

I know this was a really short chapter but it's the most I can squeeze in for now. I am so sorry that it took me so long to update. I've been busy since school just started again, and things like that.

I promise the next one will be longer. Haha. But personally, I find this chapter quite sweet. Naruto now has a mother. I kind of wished that he found one in the cannon too. Such a sweet boy. =]

Hope you guys like it. =] Review and I shall give you cookies. =]

Loves.

ME =D


	6. Chapter 6 Maybes

**Summary:** What if Iruka didn't come to Naruto's aid when Mizuki struck? What if he was unconscious at the time and someone else came instead? Four years has passed since then and no longer is he one to be looked down upon. Watch, as Naruto defies all odds thrown against him and becomes the stuff of legends, with some extra guidance of course.

**Current Time:** Two months before the Chunnin Exam

**Major Pairings:** KakashiOCItachi SasukeSakura

**Disclaimer:** I AM SO SORRY. There were a hundred times a million plus one things going on during this part of my life. I have not typed, written, or done anything for leisure (well except maybe dance) in ages and I am so sorry for not updating in ages. My deepest and sincerest apologies by dear readers. I don't know how to even say it. I just hope you guys are still out there, sticking to this.

**Reviewers:** Jerre7782, xXxJaycee81196xXx, girl-of-anime, c im am a dragon, geetac, thank you very much for your reviews. They are very much appreciated!

**Extra Need-To-Know Information: **  
I don't think there is any this chapter… But review if you have queries! Or just PM me. =]

Chapter 6  
**Maybes**

It was a good day. The yellow feathered tinged brown birds were singing sweetly; the sun hung just above the horizon, scattering millions of bright orange, red wisps across the purple sky; it was still early, perhaps only 8 in the morning but a little towards the outskirts of Konoha the clashing of metal and heavy breathing could be heard.

"Have you gone so weak you can't even finish yourself off?" A somewhat sadistic grin graced the face of a beautiful young woman with long silky black hair.

Akai panted as she struggled to get to her knees, leaning onto a tree trunk to do so. It seems like this gets harder every time she tried. Even if it was just training, she took it seriously.

Another one stepped out of the tree right behind her and the sword in her hand flashing, Akai quickly jumped away to avoid being cleaved into half and landed on the branch above the attacker, not giving her look alike time to register what happened she sliced her straight down the middle, grinning as the satisfying 'poof' echoed through the forest.

"Aw, seriously, is that the best you can do? You're going ruuuusstttttttty." The same sadistic girl called out. Akai gritted her teeth together in annoyance but before she had the time to retort, five other figures charged at her, forcing her to jump out of the way and rely on her ninjustsu to save herself.

As the fire and smoke cleared from the area there was only one person left in the clearing. This said person was still having her tongue poked out at her. "Now now Akai, why so serious?"

Akai tightened the grip onto her sword, "you know what, I never recalled myself being so damn annoying."

Her Kage-Bunshin just grinned, "but you are. You just don't know it."

Akai scowled. "Shut it you, I can simply dismiss you if I want to you know."

"But you wouldn't." she replied almost tauntingly.

"But I could."

"But you wouldn't"

Akai rolled her eyes as she stood into position with her sword poised in front of her. "All 299 down. You're the last to go."

Akai Number Two quickly got into the same stance, the grin still never leaving her face. "So let's have some fun."

A bright light, several loud crashes, a pitful of fire followed by a water dragon and a loud scream of annoyance later, Akai Meridain walked out of the training grounds, soaked, mud-covered with slightly singed hair. She glanced willfully at the sky and noted that it was about 9 in the morning, still too early for Naruto to be awake. They had stayed up till almost dawn just chatting in celebration of their newly acquired status, which she intends to formalize this evening with the Hokage. There wasn't much on the agenda right then, maybe just head home to have a shower.

'_Maybe I would successfully make that Oreo Parfait I always wanted to do' _She mused, knowing full well that with her skills, she would be lucky if she didn't burn the house down. _'Then again, Parfaits don't require fire…'_

"Meridain-san?" A semi-surprised voice called out. Akai whirled around and smiled at the figure that came into view. His silhouette was not very difficult to make out, even from the distance. She would recognize that messy silver hair anywhere.

"Good Morning Hatake-san." She greeted as she walked towards him. "What are you doing around here so early in the morning?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the female's obviously disheveled appearance. But chose to wisely avoid the question. In truth he had just visited the Monument where Obito's name was carved, but it wasn't something he wanted to share with someone he barely know. "It's not that early… and I should be the one asking that question, you don't look exactly," he coughed uncomfortably, "like you just went for a jog." He eyed the leaf that was stuck in her hair that Akai didn't seem to either notice, or mind.

"Was just doing a little training that's all."

A little? Kakashi shook his head slightly in amusement. The girl looked like she was dragged across a mud storm and back but he decided to keep his opinions to himself. He knew some girls were picky about that sort of thing.

Then again… He glanced at her slightly through the corner of his eye. Even though mud-ridden and quite painstakingly not in her best attire, Kakashi could not help but find her attractive anyway. Maybe it was the way her bold sapphire-like eyes glittered from the sunlight, or the way her posture just seemed to radiate confidence, or the swaying of her hips as took those calculated strides towards him, but even from the first time he met her four years ago he could not shrug off the feeling that there was something about this woman that made him a little flustered whenever she was near.

"Hatake-san. Are you alright?" Akai asked, staring at him strangely.

Kakashi blinked, barely registering that he was caught looking at her, he nodded before smiling sheepishly. His hand scratching the back of his head. "Haih, Meridain-san. I'm good."

She just looked at him weirdly before nodding, accepting his excuse. "Anyway, I need to head back and change, shower and all that." She grimaced as she looked down at her less-than-neat appearance. "Naruto and I are planning a mini-celebration this evening at our house. It would be great if you could come along. Sakura-chan and Uchiha-san are invited as well of course."

Her bright smile caused his breath to hitched in his throat. He coughed quickly, wondering what the hell was going on before nodding to her. "I will be there."

"Don't be late Hatake-san." She warned him, she had heard of Kakashi's notorious behaviour enough from the fellow villagers and even from her nephew- no, now son. She smiled softly as she thought of the reason for this event, to celebrate the adoption.

The man smiled flirtatiously with a wink. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Will see you later then."

As she turned around to walk off she felt a warm hand catch hold of her wrist, stopping her from moving away. Her eyes drifted to the hand on her wrist and then to the warm, dark eyes of the person who it belonged to. "Please, just call me Kakashi." His warm voice seemingly a hundred octaves lower as it sent a shiver up her spine.

She nodded, refusing to allow her body's natural action to blush. "Only if you would stick to Akai as well."

He stooped down and laid a gentle kiss onto the back of her hand. Unable to stop herself, her cheeks turned pink. "Will do Akai-hime."

As Akai walked home, heart beating unnaturally fast and looking slightly flustered. Kakashi stared out at the rising sun on the horizon. He was a flirt yes, but this felt almost uncontrollable, almost genuine. He shook his head, trying to erase the image of her gorgeous blue eyes out of his mind. Maybe it was due time to go find some woman to lose himself in. Better that then spend his time thinking of a certain black-haired girl with jewel-like eyes whom he barely knew and could kick his ass all the way to Timbaktu if she so wishes.

Yeap, a trip to a bar full of lose women should suffice.

**XXXXX **_**Later that Evening**_** XXXXX**

It was supposed to be a small affair; after all, they had only been in Konoha for a little more than a day. But through one way or another, the guest list had extended far beyond what Akai had in mind- not that she really objected of course.

The air was alive with chatter and laughter and Akai could daresay that it has been a while since she last been with so many people in such a small area. It a simple mistake really, when Sakura suggested that they should invite all the rookie nine to the party as well so that Naruto could be acquainted with all of them, she enthusiastically agreed, but somehow all their senseis decided they had nothing else to do on a Saturday night and tagged along. Then Gai's team (she would blame Kakashi for that) turned up, sprouting out some nonsense about the fact that his rival should not be at a party where he was not at and about him not bring able to miss a party held by 'the fairest maiden in all of the Fire Country' (she just watched, amused as the background mysteriously changed settings as he declared his love for her on one knee). A little later, The Hokage turned up as well, along with two members of his staff that Akai only knew by name. All of a sudden, Akai found their modest home filled to the brim with almost strangers. She shook her head, assessing the situation with a glass of red wine in her hands.

The Hokage had brought the documents that needed to be finalized before Naruto truly became her son, it was quickly done and dusted and many congratulations were given out. She smiled at that thought, her son… She had a son!

Alcohol wasn't exactly what she wanted at her party, most of the guests being underage and all that, but the other adults assured her that none of the kids would even dare touch any of it without her permission. She took a sip from her glass, relishing in the bittersweet taste as it warmed her up.

She watched carefully at Naruto's reaction to having so many relatively unknown guests around, he was dealing beautifully. The girls were already pining at his feet whilst the guys, although obviously jealous of Naruto's affect on the opposite sex, still could not help but like the new boy's attitude. Maybe it was his deep, gorgeous, cerulean eyes that were the key to his social skills; or just the way he walks and carries himself – so confident and suave; Or maybe it was the way he treated everyone alike with kindness, generosity and patience. Whatever it was, Akai could not help but feel both bubbles of pride and happiness for the way he was accepted so readily by his group of friends. Albeit they did not know about the Kyuubi, but the pure light and joy in his eyes were not fake. She hoped that maybe he would be able to consider Konoha home.

Her clear sky blue eyes trailed along the group to a certain dark-haired boy sulking in the corner. She had been watching his demeanor throughout the event, and even the entire time she had been here. It just got darker and darker as every second passed and it even seemed like he would gladly leave the party if not for the fact that Sakura had firmly stated he had to be there. She watched his face turn back into a scowl and almost gave out a pitiful half-laugh. The poor boy.

She walked towards him, stopping just right beside him and leaned against the wall. "Uchiha-san." She greeted with a nod.

He didn't look up but grunted in return. She gave him a sideway glance, shaking her head slightly with a soft smile. "So how are you enjoying the party?"

Another grunt.

"Warming up to Naruto just fine?"

Grunt.

"Food good?"

Grunt.

"What do you think of my humble abode?"

A shrug this time, she's getting somewhere.

"You know, you might feel better if you joined the others and socialized."

A glare. At least she got to see his eyes. She would consider this 3 out of 5 on the Sasuke-glare scale.

"They'd welcome you with open arms. Naruto is quite amiable."

4 out of 5. Maybe if she got it higher she'd get a response.

"Don't you feel lonely here by yourself? It might do you some good to just go and have a chat with your other teammates. What are friends for anyway?"

4.8 out of 5 she would say. His fists were even clenching. My my, the remarkable likeliness between him and his brother. A little bit more of a push should be enough.

"Unless of course, you think you're good enough to beat Itachi without the help of others."

It was almost magical. She could see it was clearly. Snap, snap, and finally, snap. The glare he shot at her was so intense that if looks could kill she'd be thrown to the afterlife and back within a span of a millisecond. "Shut up woman. You don't even know what you're talking about!" he hissed, venom practically leaking from his voice.

Her eyes softened at his anger, at his words. It took him so much by surprise that the fist he was so surely going to hit her with halted. There was no pity, no remorse, no fear within her eyes. Just _kindness_.

"Oh Sasuke…" She muttered softly, her voice so gentle it irked him. He noted that she had stopped calling him 'Uchiha-san' as well. "If only you knew…" It hurt. It hurt so badly to see a young one in so much pain, to be so broken. The pure agony within his stormy dark eyes was one that she felt all the way down to her very soul. Before she knew what she was doing her arms had already encircled him and pulled him into a tight, warm hug. "I am sorry."

Sasuke froze, not knowing what to do with this display of affection. When was the last time he had a hug? 6 years? 8? It was definitely before the massacre and after so long, it was almost bitter, yet comforting to be held by this strange woman. Before he could say anything she pulled away.

Akai blushed. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. Please forgive me Uchiha-san."

Sasuke nodded stiffly, almost unable to find his voice. His eyes just went back to stone as he turned away. "It's fine." He said, sounding almost hoarse.

She smiled softly. "Okay…" She got off from the wall. "I have to attend to the other guests now… Think about it Uchiha-san, other people would be good for you. Solace is something you can find within a friend."

He grunted. So they were back at square one.

"I will talk to you later. Do try to enjoy yourself. And if you ever need anything. Anything at all. Just come to me. Be it today or any other day." The emotions were so raw, so sincere in her voice that he could not help but look up. There was a flash of _something _in her eyes before she smiled and walked away to talk to the other people in the party. He blinked, not entirely sure what had just happened throughout the entire episode, but a quick glance around made him realize (quite gladly) that no one else witnessed it.

Five minutes later, Akai stole a glance at Naruto and was very pleased to find among the mass of people talking, was Sasuke. Given that he was not participating thoroughly in the conversation, at least he was part of their group. She smiled knowingly as she turned back to Kurenai, a Genjutsu specialist that newly turned jounin.

Kurenai noted the somewhat secretive smile that Akai held, but chose not to comment upon it; instead she gladly resumed the conversation topic of travels.

**XXXXX **_**After the Party**_** XXXXX**

To say she was exhausted was an understatement. How can one not be after all the congratulations and conversations and preparation? The celebration had ended at about 11pm when everyone decided it was time to head home. All children were chaperoned home except one final guest.

"Naruto. You should let Uchiha-san get some rest instead of tiring him out with your endless chatter." Akai said as she began clearing up all the mess made by the party members. She glanced over at where the two boys were talking, well, more like Naruto doing most of the talking whilst Sauke just grunted here and there.

"But Akai-sen-"

Akai sent him look.

"I mean, Kaa-san. I was just telling him about the time where we met those Rock-nin after we left Konoha" He turned to Sasuke and used his hands to further illustrate his story. "I mean, it was awesome! I was still pretty lousy at that time and Akai- I mean Kaa-san had to save me, and save me she did with the most kick ass awesome moves I have ever seen in my entire life!"

Akai hushed him, throwing a clean dry cloth onto his face. She turned to Sasuke. "Ignore him. He is just exaggerating, as always." She ignored Naruto's grumbles. "Now, would you like to go take a shower before you go to sleep?"

Sasuke had no idea why he had stayed behind; he had no idea why he even engaged in a conversation with _Naruto_. Albeit the blonde boy was doing most of the talking it was almost entertaining and it gave him a slight sense of camaraderie. Despite who he was, despite what he has done, Naruto didn't seem to care and treated him the way he treated everyone else. It was just such a captivating attitude.

Watching Akai and Naruto banter the way they did, it shot a pang of hurt up his spine and straight through his heart. They had only been family for a day. A single day and already their relationship outweighed anything than Sasuke had ever seen between a mother and son. Especially with the somewhat random hug that Akai had pulled him into earlier, it just felt so… right.

Uchiha Sasuke was no longer a child, a man at the age of 16. He was no longer a person who dreamed of his parents, nor longed for a family, he was far stronger than that and had already buried that part of him deep underground. But there was something just so… right, so raw within this family that everything resurfaced.

"I'm sorry?" he asked, as he wasn't sure if he had heard Akai properly.

"I asked, Uchiha-san, if you would like to have a shower before you went to bed because I would need to get some towels for you. And probably some clothing. That is if you don't mind wearing some of Naruto's." She muttered.

Sasuke just stared at her. Barely registering what she was saying and wondering how it could possibly relate to him.

She looked back at him, shock evident on her pale features. "You do not think I'm going to let you go home alone so late at night now do you?"

"I can-"

"I know your 16. And a ninja. I know that you are full well capable of taking care of yourself. But it is late, and I cannot bear the thought of you returning to your home alone so late at night. It would be so cold and lonely there."

"But-"

"Please, Uchiha-san, just put my mind at ease and stay here for the night. There is no harm done is there? You can just head home in the morning, it's a Sunday tomorrow so there's no training and a futon can be easily placed in Naruto's room."

"Meridai-"

"I'm not taking a no for an answer."

Sasuke looked at Naruto, bewildered. Naruto just shrugged. "Do what Kaa-san says Sasuke… She'll walk back to your house and drag you back here if you try to leave. And trust me… You don't want that to happen." He shuddered.

Sasuke looked back and forth at Akai's kind smile and Naruto's happy grin before he finally gave out a sigh of defeat. "Fine… I'll stay."

Akai clapped her hands in glee as Naruto just grinned even bigger. "Alright. But first things first, you go take a shower while Naruto and I clean up."

Naruto got onto his feet and dusted himself off before walking toward the nearest pile of plates to bring into the kitchen. Sasuke looked up, "wait… I wanna help too." He said softly.

The black haired beauty shook her head, "you are our guest. You do not need to bother with such chores."

The boy stood up and grabbed some plates off Naruto. "No. Really, I insist. It's the least I can do for your hospitality…"

Akai just grinned, "Alright… If you insist."

It was well after midnight only did the house finally return to its original state of peace and quiet. The mess was quickly cleared up with three pairs of hands doing the job. There was chatter and laughter surrounding the entire place for the entire time, although the black haired boy being the to participate in the conversation the least, it was clear from the small smile hovering upon his face that he enjoyed himself as well.

Akai smiled softly to herself, watching from the room door at the two sleeping beauties inside the room. Naruto, with his mouth wide open and his blonde hair shining from the moonlight; Sasuke, curled up slightly on his side while his face held no sign of a frown. It amazed her how much younger Sasuke looked without the feeling of a hundred and one things bearing upon his two shoulders. It would take time, but Akai promised herself she would do it. She would bring Sasuke back into the light if she had to drag him there herself.

With a yawn and a stretch, Akai quietly shut the door behind her before padding softly towards her room. Aching for a night of blissful sleep.

It was a good day.

**XXXXX **_**End of Chapter 6 **_**XXXXX**

WOOT. It is finished. Once again to say, I am so terribly sorry for not updating for AGES. I hope you would forgive me and stick with this story. Now that it is the holidays, I would have more time to write. I hope you liked it!

Yes yes, more in stall for Sasuke and the Meridain's. Honestly, I always felt like Sasuke would've been a good person deep down inside if not for the fact that he had no family. Don't like it? Don't care. This is MY story and I want him to be happy. So I'm not making him too much of a hard ass.

BUT DO NOT WORRY.

Bad guys are guaranteed. This won't just be a happy story. See you guys next time!

Review please!


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